The Ottomans and Their Coins

The most comprehensive study to date of the coins that document the six hundred year history of the Ottoman Empire is beginning to take its place on the shelves.

A Basic ReferenceConducting his scholarly studies on coins under the auspices of the Nilüfer Damalı Educational Foundation, Prof. Damalı is bringing together all the Ottoman coins under the title, ‘A History of Ottoman Coins’, in a project that will shed new light on the history of the empire. Through his work, Damalı aims to produce an inventory of the extant Ottoman coins that will constitute a basic reference on the subject.

An Eight-Volume OpusThe work is slated to fill exactly eight volumes and close to five thousand pages, including photographs of all the coins discussed. It will thus constitute a comprehensive data base of the Ottoman coins in the world’s leading museums, as well as examining authoritative collections.

Included in this study that will throw light on Ottoman coins are a classification of the coins, information about their production techniques and how their value varied depending on the Ottoman economy as well as summaries of the important historical events by period. Prof. Dr. Atom Damalı has begun to turn the research on Ottoman coins that he has been conducting for many years into a book. His aim is to produce the most comprehensive study of the coins to date in eight hefty volumes.